(Barely) Getting Along
by im-from-mars-duhh
Summary: Lilith Jean Randle is the younger sister of Steve Randle. She's a part of the gang and gets along with everyone, except for Sodapop, her brothers best friend. The two of them just can't seem to get along. But the two are getting older and more tolerant of one another, so what happens when their hate starts to disappear and they start to see each other as more then acquaintances?
1. Chapter 1

I pulled my jacket closer to my slightly shivering body as I walked down the street. I kicked a pebble into the middle of the road, slowing down to watch it bounce and land with a splash in a puddle. It was currently 8 am and I was making my way to the Curtis household. I was sick of hearing my brother Steve complain about there being only cold water for his shower, so I decided to go see if the guys were up. They most likely are though. They sure do get up early for the time their heads hit their pillows.

The light mid-September morning breeze was making me colder than I already was. Damn, I wish I had a warmer jacket and not this stupid ripped up hand-me-down from my mom.

I suddenly heard tires screeching from behind, causing me to turn around, only to see a red mustang headed straight for me. Stupid Socs. I could hear their wild, loud laughter as they drove by, and suddenly I was soaked. They had driven through a puddle, splashing its water all over me in the process.

"Scumbags!" I yelled out to them, even though they were too far away now to hear me. I began to shiver fiercely. I'm freezing! Thank god the Curtis' house is only about a block away.

As soon as I walked through the gates of the Curtis home, I could hear a slight commotion coming from inside, everybody up and getting ready to start their Friday. I walked through the door and was greeted to the sight of Two-Bit who was sitting on the couch staring at the TV (most likely watching Mickey Mouse) and Darry who was standing next to the couch tucking his shirt into his pants. Darry looked up at me as soon as I was inside.

"You're soaking wet, kid! What happened?" He asked, his face suddenly full of concern. The thought of what happened not even twenty minutes earlier sent a jolt of anger through me.

"Damn Socs drove through a puddle that was next to me while I was walking here and got me soaked!" I answered, rubbing my arms to try to dry the wetness and relieve the cold, but failed to do so.

"Well, you can ask Pony to get you one of his shirts. Soda may have some sweatpants you can borrow also." Darry offered. The very thought of wearing something that belonged to Sodapop made me scrunch up my face in disgust. Not in a way as in because his clothes would be gross and dirty, but in a way that I don't want to wear anything of his because I don't really like him too much. You see, Soda and I don't really get along to well. I don't know what it is, we just don't. We're always looking to pick fights (verbally) with each other. I don't know, he's just really obnoxious and annoying. I was about to reject Darry's offers, but decided against it, seeing as to how he was only trying to help and it was nice of him to do so. Plus, I'm freezing and might catch a cold if I don't get you of these clothes soon.

"Ok. Thanks, Darry." I said, smiling as I continued to rub my arms. I walked into the kitchen where I knew Pony most likely was. He was leaning against the counter eating a piece of toast while reading a book. As soon as I walked in, he looked up, his eyes slightly widening once they took in my appearance.

"Jeez, Lil, you lookin' to catch a cold?" he asked. I chuckled.

"Naw, just some stupid Socs drove through a puddle and drenched me. Darry said you might have a shirt I can borrow?"

"Yeah, sure. Come on." He said, putting his book down and finishing his last piece of toast, wiping his hands on his jeans as we made our way towards his room. We went in and he grabbed a black t-shirt from his closet a handed it to me. I took it and held it away from me, trying not to get it wet. I smiled at him.

"Thanks, Pony." I said. He lightly blushed.

"No problem." He answered, and with that, we walked out. On our way back to the kitchen, I turned my head towards him, ready to ask the dreaded question.

"Hey, you know where Soda is?" I asked. He turned his head and looked at me, surprised. Everyone knows that Soda and I can't stand each other, so me asking where he is was probably a shocker.

"Um, yeah. He's in the shower. Why?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowing. I sighed.

"Darry said that he may have a pair of sweatpants that I can borrow." Pony understandingly nodded his head.

"Ah. Makes sense." He said. I nodded as well. Pony glanced up at the clock. "Well, I have to get to school. See ya later, Lil." He said, grabbing his bag that was next to the fridge and walking away.

"Bye Pony!" I called out. He waved, walking out the door. I walked into the living room, noticing that Darry wasn't here anymore. He must've left. Dang it, I didn't get to say goodbye. Well, it's 8:40 now and the DX Station opens at a later time today, so I guess that Steve, Soda and I will have to walk to work today. I work at the station with them. I'm one of the few girls in this town who actually knows a whole bunch of stuff about cars and can also work on them. The rest are just dimwits who try to impress guys with knowing the difference between a Mustang and a Beetle.

I walked behind the couch and past Two-Bit, who was staring intently at the TV screen, watching as Mickey danced around with his friends. God, he loves that show way too much. I walked over to the bathroom and (non-creepily) listened, not hearing the sound of the shower running. Soda must be out, and frankly, I want to get out of these freezing wet clothes before I catch a cold and turn into a prune! I knocked on the door, hearing Soda yell out a couple of seconds later.

"What?"

"Hey, Pop, get out! I need…" I briefly paused, not believing what I was actually saying. "I need your help with something." He probably knew that it was me because I'm the only one who calls him Pop. I do it just to annoy him. He said he hates it because it makes him feels old or something, but I don't really care that much. I just want to be able to annoy him.

I heard nothing from inside for a couple more seconds, when suddenly the door swung open, revealing Soda standing there in his jeans and his DX shirt, which was unbuttoned with no t-shirt underneath. He obviously hadn't done his hair yet because it was still wet and slightly wild. He also had a toothbrush hanging from his mouth. As much as I hate to admit it, Soda is a pretty attractive guy. Not that I'd ever tell anyone I think that though.

"You need my help? With what?" he asked, his words slightly muffled from the toothpaste foam, which was now starting to drip from his mouth. I rolled my eyes.

"Do you not see my soaking wet clothes? I really need some bottoms and Darry said that you may have some sweatpants I can borrow. If I don't get out of these freezing wet clothes soon I might get hypothermia!" I exclaimed. Soda glanced over me (if I didn't know any better I would've thought that he was checking me out) and sighed, taking his toothbrush out of his mouth and rinsing it off, then spit the toothpaste foam out of his mouth and wiped it with a towel.

"Come on," he said, pushing past me, heading for his room. I followed him, stopping in the doorway while he looked through some drawers. Finally, he pulled a pair of grey sweatpants out and tossed them to me, and I almost didn't catch them. I glared at him.

"How'd you get all wet anyway?" he asked, turning around and looking at me. My eyes widened slightly at his question. It wasn't like him to usually ask me about things, or anything at all, really. I didn't even think that he would be slightly concerned at all.

"Um, I was on my way here when some Socs drove by and through a puddle and splashed me." I answered, but as soon as I was finished, Soda laughed. I glared at him again. "Jerk." I said, then turned around and started to head for the bathroom to change. I heard him following me out into the living room.

"Oh wow. Why didn't you just go home? You need your DX clothes anyways." He said. I rolled my eyes.

"Because I was closer to here then I was there and it's freezing outside. I wanted to be somewhere warm." I stated simply, stopping by the bathroom door and watched him as he sat on the couch next to Two-Bit. "Besides, we don't need to be to work until 10, remember?" I asked, and I could literally see him rolling his eyes, even with his back to me. I turned around, rolling my eyes once again as I went to finally change into some warm clothing.


	2. Chapter 2

I came out of the bathroom with my wet clothes in my hands. I took my shoes off, setting them outside by the door, then headed to the dryer, throwing in my clothes and socks. I went back to the living room, seeing Two-Bit sitting in the middle of the couch, Soda sitting to his left. I walked up behind Two-Bit, placing my elbows on his shoulders and my chin on top of his head. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he brought his left hand up, lightly squeezing my left arm.  
"Good morning, doll face." He said. I smiled and kissed his cheek.  
"Good morning, muffin." I sat down on the top of the couch to his right and fell back, sitting upside down on the seat, my feet hanging over the back. I glanced at Soda, who was rolling his eyes, causing me to roll mine. I don't know what it is, it's just that every time I see him roll his eyes at me I just have to roll mine back.  
Now before you say anything, no, Two-Bit and I are not a "thing". We aren't together. Never have been, never will be. We just harmlessly flirt a lot, just for the fun of it. He's basically like a brother to me.  
"Mickey's still on?" I asked, looking at Two-Bit. He smiled at me, then looked at the TV.  
"Yeah." He happily replied. I chuckled and let my head fall back over the bottom of the couch. I tried my best to read the clock on the wall next to me, eventually making out that was already 9. I sighed, hoping to God that Steve decided to bring my work clothes here with him.  
My stomach rumbled, nearly loud enough for everyone to hear, but thank god they didn't. I decided to get up so that I could raid the fridge. I got some milk, then decided to cook some eggs. I stuck my head out into the living room to ask them if they wanted any.  
"Hey, guys, you want some eggs?" I asked. Two-Bit shook his head no, keeping his eyes on the TV. Soda hesitantly looked up.  
"Um, can I have some?" He asked. My eyebrows furrowed and a paused for a second.  
"Um, sure. How many?"  
"Two."  
"How do you want them?"  
"Medium."  
"Kay." I said, then went back into the kitchen, getting out the eggs, butter, and frying pan. The whole time I was cooking, I kept thinking about Soda. He's actually not acting like an ass today, which is weird. Hmmm...  
I finished making the eggs and put them on plates, grabbed two forks and walked out to the living room, handing Soda his eggs and fork.  
"There you go, Pop." I said, just to irritate him. He rolled his eyes.  
"Thanks, Jean." He said, smirking. I glared at him. That's my middle name. Jean. My full names Lilith Jean Randall. I seriously dislike my middle name. It just doesn't fit me. Every time he calls me it, all I can think of is some big, gross, hairy man with scars named Jean. Gah! I hate being called that! I sat down on the seat next to Two-Bit with a huff, causing everyone else on the couch to shake.  
"Wow there, Lil. Careful now." Two-Bit said glancing at me for a second. Soda leaned over to look at me, a serious look on his face.  
"Yeah, Jean, you may break the couch. You are pretty heavy." He said with a mouthful of eggs. My eyes were shooting daggers at him, my glare as strong as ever. He only smirked and lent back.  
"Shut the hell up, Pop!" I said, setting my plate down to be able to lean forward and look at him. He set his plate down and lent forward to look at me. We sat there glaring at each other.  
"Why don't you make me, Jean?" he retorted. I stood up, pointing my finger at him angrily.  
"Listen here, you no good, lousy mother fu-"  
"Alright, enough!" Two-Bit interrupted, standing up and pushing me back by my shoulder. Soda was standing up now too and Two-Bit had his hand on his shoulder, pushing him back as well. "Knock it off you two or I'll have to knock it out of the both of ya!" He said. Just then the front door swung open and my brother walked in, his usual over enthusiastic smiling faltering as he saw then situation we were all in right now.  
"Oh, not again you guys! Can't you learn to get along?" As soon as he said that Soda and I both went off at the same time, talking about how it was the other persons fault and how annoying they are.  
"Alright! Alright!" He said, throwing his hands out to emphasize his words. "Please, shut up!" He walked towards us and threw a pile of clothes at me. "Here, Lil. It's your work clothes. I noticed you didn't take them when you left." He said. He looked me over, frowning. "That's not what you went out in this morning." I sighed.  
"I was walking down the street and some damn Socs drove by and ran over a puddle, splashing me and getting me soaked. I borrowed some clothes from Pony and Pop." I said. I could feel Sodas eyes shooting daggers at me at the use of his nickname and I watched my brother roll his eyes because of it. Everyone knows about the nicknames we use to piss each other off.  
"Damn Socs. Do you know what they were driving?" He asked. I nodded.  
"A red mustang."  
"Okay. We'll have to keep an eye out for it, but right now you really need to get ready. We only have thirty minutes to get to work." He said. I nodded my head again and headed for the bathroom. I brushed my hair with a brush that I keep here then undressed from the guys' clothes, quickly pulling on my jeans. I then pulled my women's DX work shirt, buttoning it up, leaving the top two undone, just like always. I swear, it's not to show anything off, the shirt is just really tight when I have it buttoned all the way up. If I could button it all the way up I would. I hate when guys stare at my cleavage.  
I walked out of the bathroom and quickly ran to the dryer, getting out my socks and jacket, leaving my other clothes in. Thank god they were dry already. I put on my socks and jacket, then threw on my DX cap. I yelled a quick bye to Two-Bit as I ran to the door and pulled on my shoes, running to get to Steve and Soda who were waiting by the gate.  
"Ready?" Steve asked. I nodded, mumbling "Yep." "Good." He said, and with that, we were off to start yet another long day of work.


	3. Chapter 3

Our shift at work went by slowly, but eventually the clock turned to 4 pm, telling us that we can clock out. We each took a coke from the fridge in the office and then we locked up and started for home, popping the caps off our sodas and throwing them in the dirt. I took a big swig of my drink.  
"Ah!" Steve sighed loudly, relieved. Soda chugged his down and threw the bottle onto the ground by the sidewalk. I lightly sipped on mine, trying to save it for the whole walk back to the Curtis'. I listened as the two guys talked about some busty soc girl who came in today, rolling my eyes at them. I was taking another drink of my soda when all of a sudden I heard tires peeling and saw a car come around a corner a ways up the road.  
"Damn socs." Steve muttered. I kept my eyes on the car as it neared us... and then it hit me.  
"Holy shit." I whispered, but the two heard me.  
"What?" Steve asked.  
"Those are the socs that I had that run in with this morning!" I said, stopping in my tracks. Steve and Soda stopped next to me. As the car came closer, we could all hear the socs loud laughter and shouting.  
"Dirty greasers!" One screamed as they got closer. They were almost to us when Steve yelled,  
"Scumbags!" and threw his empty soda bottle at their car as it drove by, hitting the tail light and breaking it. The car zoomed past us and screeched to a stop. The soc in the passenger side leaned out his window and looked at the tail light, then at us.  
"Get em'!" He yelled, and as the car started to turn around, Steve, Soda and I booked it down the street.  
We turned down an alley, but came to a dead end. We heard the socs car screech to a stop, which was followed by the sound of slamming doors as they got out to follow us. We all looked around frantically for an escape, when I noticed a fire escape close to Soda.  
"Soda!" I shouted. He looked at me as I pointed to the ladder, which he would have to pull down (because I'm too short). He ran to it and jumped, grabbing hold of it and pulling it down. Steve and I ran over and Steve lifted me up so I could reach, then I climbed up, Steve behind me, and then Soda. We all glanced down and saw the socs entering the alley, so we climbed as fast as we could up the next two fire escapes and onto the roof of the building. We ran to the edge of the roof and looked down, seeing no way off of the three story building. Just as we turned around, a blonde Soc climbed onto the roof.  
"Great day not to have my damn blade." I heard Steve mumble under his breath. I would've laughed, but given the situation, I really don't think I should.  
The Soc slowly walked towards us, smirking as he pulled out a switch blade. My heart skipped a beat, my body slightly beginning to shake with terror as I looked around frantically for any possible was to escape. Steve and Soda moved in front of me, protecting me. They didn't take their eyes off of the Soc. I looked at the Soc and then behind me, making sure there was positively absolutely no way out, and then I noticed it. Right behind me, a little to my right, was a big pole that went straight down to the clear, open alley behind us. It would probably hurt like hell landing, but it's better than being sliced up by a Soc. I looked at Steve and Soda, noticing that Soda was closer to me then Steve, so I took my chance.  
"Soda!" I whisper-yelled, causing him to turn around. He looked at me and I motioned towards the pole, trying not to catch the attention of the soc. He immediately realized what I was talking about.  
"Go!" He whispered. I frowned.  
"What about you two?" I asked.  
"We'll be right behind you. Now go!" He said, and after a short moments stare, I broke our gaze and slowly backed up towards the pole as Soda turned back around.  
I looked down at the ground, seeing the far distance. In order not to get a bad metal burn on my way down I have to have something between my skin and the metal. Without thinking I took off my shirt and kneeled down next to the pole, wrapping my shirt around it, then lowered myself onto the pole, gripping onto my shirt and trying as hard as I could not to slide down fast to prevent a hard fall. Luckily I was able to make it down without a scratch and my shirt only got a couple of stains. I put it back on and took a step back, looking up at the roof, waiting for Steve and Soda. I tapped my foot nervously on the ground as I crossed my arms over my chest, digging my fingernails into the skin of my arms out of nervousness.  
"Come on, guys!" I mumbled to myself after a couple of seconds. Suddenly a body came into sight, gripping onto the pole and sliding down. He didn't have a shirt on, as they had been using it for help down just as I did. I realized that it was Soda because Steve had been wearing an undershirt. He landed on the ground and stumbled towards me, Steve coming down as soon as Soda moved out of the way. He was using his DX shirt for help also. I guess that we all kind of think alike...

As soon as they were down they threw their shirts back on, not bothering to button them up. We all looked up at three Socs who were peering down at us with scowls on their faces.  
"Dammit!" One exclaimed, angrily turning around and throwing something. We all laughed and began to walk out of the alley.  
Once we were back on our way to the Curtis' house I looked over at Steve and Soda, seeing that they were a little beat up. Steve had a busted lip with a little blood dripping down and Sodas nose had a dried stream of blood going down to his chin. I brought my hands up to my mouth, trying to cover up a gasp, and came to a stop, causing them two to stop as well.  
"What?" Steve asked. I brought my hands down and stared at them with wide eyes.  
"What do you mean 'what'? You two got hurt!" I yelled, gesturing towards them. They leaned back a bit, a little taken back by my sudden outburst.  
"Calm down, Lil, we're fine." Steve tried to assure me. I stood there for a second and looked him over, then glanced at Soda and quickly looked him over before finally agreed that they seemed okay enough.  
"Okay, fine, but ya'll better clean yourselves up as soon as we get to the house." I lectured, pointing my finger at them. They rolled their eyes and nodded.  
"Sure thing, mom." Steve huffed and began to walk again. Soda looked at me.  
"Yeah, sure thing mama Jean." He taunted, smirking, turned around and walked away. I stood there for a second with my fists clenched at my sides, glaring at the back of his head before I finally decided to catch up with them, making sure to be on Steve's right because Soda was on his left.  
We walked in silence for a couple of minutes before Soda spoke up.  
"Damn, I sure hope Darry doesn't see this." He said, rubbing his slightly swollen nose.  
"It doesn't look that bad, Pop. It's the blood that's gonna make him notice." I noted, pointing to my chin, indicating that that was where he had blood on himself. He looked from me to in front of us, reaching his hand up towards his face and gently rubbing his chin, looking at the dried blood that was now on his hand.  
"Aw shoot!" He moaned, trying to rub it off.  
"That ain't gonna work, bud." Steve stated, patting him sympathetically on the back.  
"Yeah," I began. "There's gonna be a red stain there." Soda moaned again.  
"Dammit!" He yelled out, groaning while he squeezed his eyes shut and threw his head back. Steve and I chuckled at him.  
We soon arrived at the gate of the Curtis household, stopping to stare at it, able to hear loud talking and the TV blaring from inside. Steve and I looked at Soda, who was staring house as if he was staring at a one hundred question quiz of which he knew none of the answers to. He really didn't want to go in there. Steve slapped him on the back twice.  
"Cheer up, bud. He ain't gonna do nothing bad. He'll probably be a little mad, but then he'll probably be happy that you stuck up for Lil." He reassured him, giving him a sympathetic smile. Soda glanced at me and I gave him a small reassuring smile. We may not be on the best of friends but this is really bugging him and I don't like to see people sad, as long as they're not Socs. Soda looked at me and then up to the house and huffed, then began to slowly shuffle forward.  
"Well, I guess I'd better go get this over with." He mumbled and picked up his pace a bit, his head hung low as he headed towards the door, Steve and I following behind ready to back him up.


	4. Chapter 4

As soon as we were inside Soda tried to make it to his room without being noticed, but was stopped when Darry called out from the kitchen.  
"Hey, Soda! That you?" He asked. Soda stiffened, then turned around a couple of seconds later and stared worriedly at me and Steve.  
"Uh, yeah, Darry. It is." He finally answered.  
"Is there anyone else with you?"  
"Yeah, Steve and Lilith." He replied. I glanced at him, slightly confuse on why he decided to use my full first name. Usually if he calls me anything besides Jean, it's Lil. Everyone knows that. Uh oh, Darry's probably going to figure out that something's wrong just based upon that. It was quiet for a couple of seconds.  
"Guys, come in here for a sec." Darry said. The three of us worriedly looked at each other and then headed into the kitchen. Once we were in I could see Darry, who had his back to us fixing something on a plate, and Pony, who was working on some homework. Pony glanced up at us, his eyebrows slightly furrowing with concern. I just nodded at him, signaling to him to wait and listen because we're most likely about to go over this with Darry right now.  
Darry took a bite out of whatever was on his plate before setting it down and turning around, his small smile faltering as he looked over the two beat up boys next to me. He quickly swallowed his food and stood up straighter, crossing his arms over his chest. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked between us, trying to hold back his obvious anger.  
"Soda, what the hell happened to you two?" He said, looking Soda and Steve over once again. The two boys stood there, their mouths gaping like fish, searching for the right words to say.  
"Well?" Darry asked, growing impatient. I glanced at the two hopeless boys before stepping in to help.  
"Well, Darry," I began, causing everyone in the room to turn their attention to me. I nervously cleared my throat, not liking all of the attention. "we were all walking home from the DX station when some Socs drove by. I noticed that they were the same Socs that messed with me this morning, so I told Steve and Soda. Steve yelled at them and threw his coke bottle at their car and broke their tail light. They got mad and started chasing us, and we ended up cornered by one of them on top of a roof. I found a way down, so Steve and Soda distracted the Soc while I got away, then they fought him off the best they could before getting down themselves. Then we continued our walk from work and now here we are." I finished with a small nervous chuckle. Darry was staring at the floor, processing the information. "I'm lucky that they were there with me, Darry. Who knows how things could've ended up. Please don't be mad!" I begged, my hands together at me chest, worry filling my body. He has to understand! He just has to!  
Darry looked from me to the boys, then nodded his head.  
"Alright. It's fine, guys. It's a good thing you two were there to protect Lil. She could've really gotten hurt." He said, slightly smirking towards me. I smiled and reached forward, slapping his arm.  
"Hey! The only reason I couldn't protect myself was because I didn't have my blade on me! Those dirty scumbags got lucky!" I said, and we all laughed.  
Darry soon went back to eating and Pony went back to doing his homework. I watched as Steve walked over to the fridge, looking for some food. I looked around, noticing that Soda was nowhere to be seen. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as I walked into the living room, not seeing him in there. I looked around, suddenly noticing that the bathroom door was slightly open and light was seeping through the small crack. I slowly walked over and knocked on the door.  
"Who is it?" Sodas voice chimed through.  
"Lilith." I answered, only to be returned with a sigh. I rolled my eyes and walked in, only to be met with the sight of Soda standing in front of the mirror shirtless, inspecting himself. He didn't even acknowledge my presence as I walked in, closing the door all the way behind me. I squeezed past him, our bodies barley touching as I went to sit on the toilet. This sure is a really small bathroom...  
I stared at the ground for a minute, sitting in the almost complete silence, the only noise being Soda as he shifted around, inspecting his body. I looked up at him, being met with the side view of his torso, but it sure was a great view. Hey, why can I say? Soda has a freaking nice body. I know I'm not the only one who thinks so. He turned to inspect his right side, now giving me a view of his back. I watched as his muscles tightened when he flexed, flinching at the slight pain that a bruise on his side gave him. He has (and I'm not trying to be creepy) a very nice back. It's so toned and you can see his muscles as he flexes, and it looks so smooth. I just want to run my hands over it, to be able to feel his soft skin and toned muscles under my fingertips... What the hell am I saying? Oh god! Gah! What's wrong with me?!  
I shook my head and looked down, only looking up again a couple of seconds later when I heard him shift again, only to be met with the view of the front of his body while he inspected his left side. My breathing became slightly fast and my heart started to beat a little faster as I stared at his amazing torso, taking in the glorious view. He had a six pack, no doubt about it. It wasn't like a body builders type of six pack, but a normal man who works out a lot type of six pack. His time spent working in the DX station and fighting in rumbles and against Socs have really done well for him.  
I continued to stare until I heard someone clear their throat, which snapped me out of my gaze. I looked up at Soda, who was smirking down at me. My cheeks grew hot and I instantly turned to stare at the wall in front of me, trying my hardest not to let him see me blush.  
"Enjoying the view?" He asked, and when I looked back at him he brought his arms up, flexing his muscles while watching himself in the mirror. I noticed that he had cleaned up his wounds and that he was most likely finished in here, giving me no reason to be here. I didn't really have any reason to be here in the first places anyways. Wait, why did I even come here?  
I got up to leave and Soda turned to me. I inspected his face, seeing that it was now cleaned, but his nose was a little swollen from a punch he had probably taken.  
"Well, I see that you've cleaned yourself up." I stated. He nodded his head.  
"Yep."  
"Just don't forget to ice it." I said, pointing at his nose. He rolled his eyes.  
"Sure, whatever Jean." He taunted, smirking at me. I just glared at him and took a step closer to the door. I was now stuck in between the wall and a shirtless Sodapop and couldn't get the door open because in order to do that Soda needs to move so that I can get the door handle and actually open it. I looked up at Soda, who was looking down at me. Oddly, we stood there for a minute, just staring into each others eyes. The room suddenly started to become warmer and I needed to get out before something happened.  
"Pop, can you move?" I asked. He just continued to stare down at me as if he didn't hear me. I huffed out a breath. Closing my eyes, I sighed, ready to use plan B. I opened my eyes again and looked back up at Soda.  
"Sodapop, can you please move?" I quietly asked, my voice faltering at the intense, breathtaking gaze he had on me. His trance seemed to brake and he immediately took a step back towards the toilet.  
"Uh yeah, sure." He quickly said. I was slightly confused by his reaction but brushed it off, quickly opening the door and speed walking out towards the couch, where Two-Bit was now sitting. I sighed before sitting down next to him.  
"Hey doll-face." He said, turning towards me. I looked at him.  
"Hey muffin." I replied, giving him a small smile and pecking his cheek. He smiled and looked back at the TV, which currently had Mickey Mouse dancing around with his gang on its screen. I smiled and shook my head.  
"Mickey still?" I asked. Two-Bit threw his arm around the back of the side of the couch that I was sitting on.  
"He never gets old and never will." He stated, not taking his eyes off of the screen. I smiled and leaned back into the couch, propping my feet up on the coffee table. I sat there, thoughts swirling around my brain.  
I get that Soda has a hot body, but why did I feel all weird while we were alone? Why did my heartbeat go faster just by looking at him? Why did I blush when he caught me? Well, I guess, who wouldn't? But still...  
Lastly, what was up with that little moment we had before I walked out? Why were we staring at each other? Why did the room start to get so hot? Why did Soda seem to be in some sort of trance? And why did he get all weird when I snapped him out of it?  
All of these questions zapped through my mind and I only had the answer to some of them. As much as I hate to admit it, I think that I might have, you know, feelings for Soda. You know, not the "oh, you're my brothers best friend so you're my best friend!" type of feelings, the "oh god, take me here and now" type of feelings. Wow! That escalated quickly. But really, who can blame me? I guess that I just have to face the truth. I, Lilith Jean Randall, have feelings for Sodapop Curtis. He's just so cute and funny, though he can be really annoying and an ass sometimes. Yet, I still have a crush on him. Wow... It feels weird telling myself that. I can't let anyone know about this! I don't think that anything will ever really happen anyways... I'll just have to continue on normally, messing with and picking fights with Soda often. Oh god... I hope no one finds out. Especially Soda! And Steve! Soda would probably laugh at me and Steve would probably hate me. Oh god, please help me!  
I quietly sighed, closing my eyes and leaning my head back against the couch. I just have to continue on like normal, as if I don't have feelings for Soda, even though I do...


	5. Chapter 5

I woke up to the sound of, well, a lot of things. I sat up on the couch, rubbing my face with my hand and sighing. I stood up and popped my back, then listened into the sounds being made around the house. I heard sizzling coming from the kitchen, so someone was cooking, and then I heard the TV, and looked to my left, seeing Two-Bit sitting in a lounge chair, watching Mickey.  
"Morning, sleepy head." He called out, laughing as I looked at him.  
"Morning, Two-Bit." I said as I raked my hands through my tangled hair.  
"You look like you got a nice sleep." I heard someone say from behind me. I turned around to see Dally standing there, leaning against the wall to the hallway. I perked up and ran to him, jumping on him and engulfing him into a big hug. He stumbled back but caught himself on the wall.  
"Dammit, Lil, careful! You almost made me spill my beer!" He exclaimed, chuckling. I laughed too as he brought his free arm up and wrapped it around me, giving me a tight hug.  
"Hey kid, how are ya?" He asked as I pulled away and hopped down. I only came up to about Dally's chin, so I had to look up at him. I'm the smallest out of everyone... Well, that does make sense, considering that I'm a girl. It would be weird if I was taller than the guys... I smiled up at him.  
"I'm great, Dal. Thanks for asking." I said. He raised his eyebrows, giving me a concerned look.  
"Well, that's not exactly what I've heard." He said. I gave him a confuse look, so he continued. "I heard that you had a run in with a couple of Socs?" He asked. I sighed and looked down, pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration before looking back up at him.  
"Dal, really, I'm fine. I had a run in with a couple of Socs yesterday morning, yes, but I'm fine, really." I said. He stared down at me with a frown on his face.  
"What happened? And tell me all of it." He said. I rolled my eyes but looked back at him. I told him what happened yesterday morning and then what happened after work. He looked beyond pissed once I was finished. He's had a huge grudge against the Socs ever since what happened to Johnny. We had gotten there just in time to save him though. Ever since then we've all looked out for each other, especially me for him and him for me. He's like my second brother. I'm so glad that I have an amazing friend like him and that he cares so much about me.  
Once we were finished with our conversation and I was able to calm him down, Dally decided to go get some food from Darry, who was apparently in the kitchen making eggs. I went to the washer, seeing that it was started, but through in my socks an underwear (which I had to get by quickly changing in and out of my clothes without anyone walking in on me). I threw them into the washer and grabbed my clothes that were still in the dryer from yesterday morning. I went upstairs and straight into the bathroom, ready for a shower. I knew that the Curtis' wouldn't mind me using their shower because I've used it a bunch of times.  
I hopped in and spent probably around thirty minutes washing up before getting out. I got dressed, having to go commando until my underclothing were done being washed. My god, this uncomfortable! How do guys do this all the time? I hope my clothes are done soon.  
I brushed my hair, letting my slightly wavy dirty blonde hair cascade down my back and a little over my shoulders. It wasn't too long, just a couple of centimeters below where my bra strap clips together. Once I was finished with my hair, I brushed my teeth with the toothbrush I keep here, then headed out and straight to the washer, seeing that the clothes were now switched over into the dryer and most likely will be done in a half hour.  
I went back upstairs and into the kitchen, where Darry was cooking eggs.  
"Morning, Lil." Darry greeted me, giving me a quick glance. I smiled at him.  
"Good morning, Darry." I said back, nodding my head. "Whatcha making there, Dare?" I said, using my nickname for him. Darry glance at me, smiling at the use of his nickname.  
"Just some eggs. Want some?" He asked. Just then, my stomach rumbled.  
"Oh god, please." I said, causing him to laugh.  
"Okay. Two sunny side up eggs coming right up."  
"Aw! You remembered!" I said, clutching my heart with both hands and pretending to swoon over him. He chuckled.  
"Of course, Lil." He said, glancing at me before he took the eggs that were currently on the frying pan and putting them onto a plate, then getting two eggs from the carton on the counter and cracking them into the frying pan. "I'd never forget." He finished his sentence, flashing me his most charming smile, causing me to laugh. God, playfully flirting is fun. We both know that we're just messing around.  
"Pony!" Darry suddenly yelled out, scaring me.  
"Yeah?" I heard Pony answer from another room. I looked around upon hearing him, trying to figure out where he was.  
"Your eggs are done! Come and get them!" He said, and Pony came in a couple of seconds later to get his food. As soon as he was in here he looked at me and gave me a small wave.  
"Hi, Lil."  
"Hey, Pony." I said, giving him a big smile, which he returned, and with that, he turned around and walked into the hallway, where he was probably going to his room.  
"Here ya go." Darry said to me as he placed my eggs on a plate and handed it to me. I smiled and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.  
"Thanks, Dare." I said, then headed out to go and eat my food in the living room and watch Mickey with Two-Bit while I wait for the rest of my clothes to dry.


	6. Chapter 6

I finished my food before the episode of Mickey Mouse was over, so I waited until it was done before going to check on my clothes, just for good measure. Once it was over I got up and threw my plate away and put my fork in the sink, then washed my hands and went to go check on my clothes. Once I was to the dryer I saw that it was finished, so I had to rummage through the men's clothing in which my clothes were hiding in. Once I had my underclothing, I headed back upstairs to the bathroom to change. Once I was finished with getting dressed and pulling on my socks, I brushed my teeth once again, just to get the egg off.

I smiled at my reflection then headed out of the bathroom and decided to look for my brother, if he was still even here. I walked into the kitchen to find Darry leaning against the counter eating eggs.

"Hey, Dare, do you know where Steve is?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips. He nodded and swallowed his food.

"Uh, yeah. He's in the dining room with Soda." I nodded to him, mumbling a thanks before going into the next room, which is the dining room. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted by the sight of Soda and Steve sitting across from each other, arm wrestling. They both seemed very concentrated. So concentrated, in fact, that they didn't even notice me walk in the room. _Well, I'm just going to have to take advantage of this. _I slowly walked up behind Steve, wondering how Soda didn't see me since he was positioned right at me. I quietly walked to the spot that was right next to them at the end of the table, then quickly slammed both of my fists down onto the table, startling both of them. Well, Steve seemed to be more in shock, so just when he was about to say something, Soda took this opportunity to slam Steve's hand down onto the table. Steve cried out and cringed slightly at the pain in his hand, bringing it up to his chest and rubbing it with his left hand.

"Hey guys!" I chimed as if I didn't do anything wrong. Soda continued to stare at Steve's hand in victory, while Steve looked up to glare at me.

"Dammit, Lil. You made me lose!" He exclaimed. I pretended to be hurt. I grabbed my chest and placed a fake hurt look on my face.

"What? Well I would never, Steve!" I exclaimed. He just rolled his eyes and stood up. "Wait, Steve, where are you going?" I asked. He looked at me, slightly annoyed.

"I'm done playing." He said. I stared at him.

"But I wanted to play against you!" I whined. He rolled his eyes.

"Play with Soda!" He said, gesturing towards Soda. I turned to Soda, who was looking at Steve. I looked back at Steve.

"But I don't want to!" I said, continuing to whine. Steve sighed.

"Well then I guess you don't get to play." He said, then walked out. I let out a huff of breath, ready to leave, when Soda spoke up.

"Do you not want to play me because you know you'll lose?" He asked. I turned towards him to see that annoyingly beautiful smirk on his face. I glared at him.

"No. I know that I could beat you anytime." I stated, crossing my arms. He leaned back and did the same, that smirk still plastered across his face.

"Then why won't you play me?" He asked. I just rolled my eyes and decided to ignore his question and leave. Just before I was able to take my first step, I heard it. The noise. The noise no one ever wants to be compared to; the chicken noises. I balled my fists up and turned around to look a Soda, who was making chicken noises and flapping his elbows around like they were wings. He paused for a moment.

"So, you're saying that you're a... a... A chicken?" He questioned, then continued to flap his arms and make chicken noises. I glared down at him. _Oh, it's on now, jerk._

I quickly sat down in the seat across from him where Steve had been sitting and put my arm up in the arm wrestling position, surprising Soda a bit. His facial expression turned from slightly surprised to another smirk.

"So, you're not a chicken?" He asked. My glare intensified as I stared him straight in the eyes.

"No, but you're gonna look pretty bad losing to a girl, Pop." I retorted. His smirk fell slightly, but was quickly pulled back up.

"You're on, Jean." He said, then set his arm up on the table. We grabbed each other's hands and I felt a tingle when we touched, which caused a warm feeling at the bottom of my stomach. I brushed it off and concentrated. As soon as Soda counted down from three, we were off.

A minute had gone by and we were both still going at it pretty hard. We were gritting our teeth and leaning forward, trying to keep out balance. _Oh god, I have to win! I just have to! I have to show Soda that I'm not a chicken and don't take shit from anyone! And I need to do this for Steve, since I made him mess up. _My arm started to give out and _I was slowly losing. Oh no. Think of something! Quick! _I thought hard for a second, then I had it. I knew that this was really risky and _really_ drastic, but I have to win! I slightly smirked at Soda, who gave me a slightly confused look, before concentrating again. I shifted a little, helping me with what I was trying to do to mess him up, and watched as his face suddenly turned from concentrated to surprised. He looked up at me, confused.

"Jean," he said, trying not to lose concentration. I started to push on his hand harder. I knew I was winning. My drastic measures where working. "What the hell... Are you doing?" He asked between jagged breaths and clenched teeth. His face turning red as he tried to concentrate on his arm, but the fact the my right foot was rubbing the inner side of his right calf was distracting him, and severely, I might add.

My smirk grew as I saw how he struggled to push my arm down, failing slightly. Our arms were now straight up, like how they were when we started. _Damn, he's still putting up a strong fight..._ I dragged my foot up a little towards the side of his knee and began to rub from the top of the calf to there, causing him to lose focus and give up a little more, my arm pushing his down a little further.

"Lilith," he breathed out, his head hanging down towards the table, his eyes squeezed shut. I looked at him, surprised that he said my full first name, which made it kind of hard to try to concentrate on winning. I shook off the surprise and concentrated harder. _He can only take so much..._ I had his arm almost halfway down to my side, but he was still giving up a good fight. _I can change that... _And with that, I brought my foot up, rubbing his inner thigh, coming inches away from his "area." He slowly began to give up, his breathing quickening as his arm started to give out even more. I continued to stroke from his knee and up his thigh, getting closer to his area each time. Each time I came closer, his breath hitched and I almost won. _Damn, how is he still going?!_

Finally, I got back to his knee and this time made a slower, more pressured stroke up his thigh, getting only up to probably about a centimeter away from his area, and that's when he gave up. I slammed his hand into the table and he let out a defeated sigh, while I got up and did a small happy dance. His breathing came out rapidly and quickly. He had his head rested in his hands.

"Wow, Jean." He breathed out, and I stopped dancing and looked at him.

"What?" I asked. He looked up at me. His chest was falling up and down quickly and his cheeks were a darker, rosy red color.

"I can't believe you did that just to win." He said. I shrugged.

"I needed to win." I said. He rolled his eyes. "Hey, this was your fault! You're the one who made me challenge you! I was so determined to win I had to go to drastic measures just to prove a point." I stated, standing up straight and placing my hands on my hips. He rolled his eyes and stood up as well. He then looked down and groaned. I glanced down at him too, only to see a bulge in his pants. I squealed and covered my mouth in surprise, bringing my wide eyes up to look up at his slightly blushing face. _Holy crap! I gave Soda a boner? Oh my god!_

Soda hid his blush with a serious look aimed directly at me.

"This," he stated, pointing down at his "problem" and then back at me. "Is your fault. If anyone asks why I have this, I'm telling them why." My surprised face switched to a look of terror.

"Oh my god, no, Pop, please!" I begged. He smirked and shrugged, then started to head out into the kitchen. "No, Sodapop, please don't!" I continued to beg. Soda stopped for a brief moment then continued to walk, but turned towards the hallway and towards his room. I went back into the dining room and sat down. Almost a minute later I heard the shower start. _I wonder if that's him..._

I sat there, thinking over all that just happened, when Steve walked in.

"Hey, sis, how'd your arm wrestling match go?" He asked. By the looks of it, he didn't know about what happened, which meant that the other boys most likely didn't either. _Thank god._ I let out a relieved smile, which was also mixed with happiness over my win.

"I won." I said proudly, which obviously took Steve by surprise.

"You won?" he asked. I nodded my head vigorously.

"Yep!" I said, and jumped up and into Steve's open arms. He gave me a big hug.

"Good job, Lil! I knew you could beat him!" I giggled slightly. _Well, if I wouldn't have done what I did I probably wouldn't have won…_

"Me too." I said with a smile, then we both let go of each other. "Where is Pop?" I asked. Steve gave me a slightly confused look.

"He's taking a shower. Why?"

"Oh, nothing. He just left after I won. I was wondering if he was sulking in his room or not." I answered, causing Steve to laugh. _He must be taking care of the "problem" that I caused._ I blushed slightly at the thought, but thank god Steve wasn't paying attention.

"Well, it's almost noon and we wanted to head out for lunch. Wanna join us?" Steve asked. I smiled and nodded my head.

"Of course." I said. Steve smiled.

"Okay, we just have to wait for Sodapop." He said, and with that, turned around and left. I slowly followed him into the living room, taking a seat in between Pony and Two-Bit on the couch. Although I was staring at the TV (which weirdly didn't have Mickey Mouse on), I wasn't paying any attention. All I could do was sit there and replay the events that had just occurred between me and Soda in my head over and over.


End file.
